The radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is used for wireless communication supports a plethora of different communication applications such as mobile voice and data communications, FM and AM radio, TV, remote surveillance and sensor monitoring, and with increasing frequency, control of robotic machines, vehicles, and aerial drones. Monitoring and characterizing use of the RF spectrum is integral to regulating the spectrum and allocating and policing use of frequency channels in the spectrum so that the spectrum may enable satisfactory functioning of the different communication tasks for which it is used. Effective monitoring and policing of the RF spectrum typically depends on methods of detecting and identifying licensed and/or pirate transmitters that use the RF spectrum and determining at least one, or a combination of more than one, of their respective transmission bandwidths, percentages of time they use their bandwidths, transmission intensities, and/or coding formats.